CP.VIII.B — Power-Off Stalls
CP.VIII.B for the Commercial Pilot Powered Lift ACS: official objective, references, and 23 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-2, November 2023. This study page does not replace the current FAA publication or an examiner's plan of action.
Official task context
| Certificate or rating | Commercial Pilot |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Powered Lift |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation VIII. Slow Flight and Stalls |
| Task | Task B. Power-Off Stalls |
| Task code prefix | CP.VIII.B |
| Official references | FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-25; Flight Manual |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-2 — Commercial Pilot for Powered-Lift Category Airman Certification Standards |
| FAA source library | Open the official ACS library |
Official task objective
To determine the applicant exhibits satisfactory knowledge, risk management, and skills associated with power-off stalls.
What the ACS code means
- CP identifies the ACS standard family used for this Commercial Pilot Powered Lift document.
- VIII identifies Slow Flight and Stalls, the Area of Operation.
- B identifies Power-Off Stalls, the Task within that Area.
- K, R, and S identify knowledge, risk-management, and skill elements. The number selects the item; a trailing lowercase letter identifies a listed sub-element.
Knowledge elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| CP.VIII.B.K1 | Aerodynamics associated with stalls in various aircraft configurations, including the relationship between angle of attack, airspeed, load factor, power setting, aircraft weight and center of gravity, aircraft attitude, and yaw effects. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CP.VIII.B.K2 | Stall characteristics as they relate to aircraft design, and recognition impending stall and full stall indications using sight, sound, or feel. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CP.VIII.B.K3 | Factors and situations that can lead to a power-off stall and actions that can be taken to prevent it. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CP.VIII.B.K4 | Fundamentals of stall recovery. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
Risk management elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| CP.VIII.B.R1 | Factors and situations that could lead to an inadvertent power-off stall, spin, and loss of control. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CP.VIII.B.R2 | Range and limitations of stall warning indicators (e.g., aircraft buffet, stall horn, etc.). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CP.VIII.B.R3 | Stall warning(s) during normal operations. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CP.VIII.B.R4 | Stall recovery procedure. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CP.VIII.B.R5 | Secondary and accelerated stalls. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CP.VIII.B.R6 | Effect of environmental elements on aircraft performance related to power-off stalls (e.g., turbulence, microbursts, and high-density altitude). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CP.VIII.B.R7 | Collision hazards. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CP.VIII.B.R8 | Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
Skills elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| CP.VIII.B.S1 | Clear the area. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S2 | Select an entry altitude that allows the Task to be completed no lower than 3,000 feet AGL or as recommended by the manufacturer, whichever is higher. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S3 | Configure the aircraft in the approach or landing configuration, as specified by the evaluator, and maintain coordinated flight throughout the maneuver. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S4 | Establish a stabilized descent. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S5 | Transition smoothly from the approach or landing attitude to a pitch attitude that induces a stall. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S6 | Maintain a specified heading, ±10° if in straight flight; maintain a specified angle of bank not to exceed 20°, ±5°, if in turning flight, until an impending or full stall occurs, as specified by the evaluator. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S7 | Acknowledge the cues at the first indication of a stall (e.g., aircraft buffet, stall horn, etc.). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S8 | Recover at the first indication of a stall or after a full stall has occurred, as specified by the evaluator. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S9 | Configure the aircraft as recommended by the manufacturer and accelerate to VX or VY. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S10 | Return to the altitude, heading, and airspeed specified by the evaluator. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CP.VIII.B.S11 | Use single-pilot resource management (SRM) or crew resource management (CRM), as appropriate. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
Difficulty data
Difficulty calibration is ongoing for this Task. A difficulty estimate is published only with a sufficiently large, privacy-preserving first directly recorded assessment sample. Any observed difficulty comes from Checkride AI mock-oral practice assessments and is a practice-data proxy, not an FAA practical-test pass or fail rate.
Difficulty calibration remains ongoing until an item clears the private reporting threshold. Percentages, when available, describe the share who needed review on their first directly recorded assessment. Underlying sample sizes are never published, and historical final states are not backfilled into this measure.
Official task notes
- See Appendix 2: Safety of Flight and Appendix 3: Aircraft, Equipment, and Operational Requirements & Limitations for information related to this Task.
How to use this in a mock oral
A mock examiner can ask you to explain the published elements, apply them to the configured aircraft and airport scenario, identify risks, and defend a decision. The prompts are practice scenarios; they are not claimed to be actual FAA examiner scripts or a prediction of the questions you will receive.
Related ACS tasks
- All Commercial Pilot Powered Lift ACS tasks
55 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-2.
- CP.VIII.A — Maneuvering During Slow Flight (Wing-Borne Configuration)
Area of Operation VIII. Slow Flight and Stalls
- CP.VIII.C — Power-On Stalls
Area of Operation VIII. Slow Flight and Stalls
- CP.VIII.D — Accelerated Stalls
Area of Operation VIII. Slow Flight and Stalls